Happy New Year! As we move into the start of our third year of our podcast, we begin our first episode of 2016 by discussing the major trends we observed during the 2015 as we flipped resources into our Flipboard magazine (http://bit.ly/trendsandissues). We have five trends that we discuss. These trends are:

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
Educational Technology as Big Business
Online Learning: specifically nano-degrees, digital badges, and MOOCs
Security Issues in various contexts
Net Neutrality
New Technology: head's up displays, tablets, and wearables

We end the episode by gazing into the crystal ball to make predictions for 2016. We predict:

Increased applications of virtual reality and augmented reality in educational contexts
Discussions about re-imagining and reinventing the US educational system
Expanded use of Open Educational Resources
Online learning: increased discussion about carefully constructed personalized learning that includes faculty engagement

To cite the Trends & Issues podcast:

Brown, A. & Green, T. (Producers). (2016, January 1). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design, Educational Technology, and Learning Sciences [Audio Podcast]. Retrieved from http://trendsandissues.com/

Our next podcast episode will be January 18, 2016